Preface

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Companies grappling with such issues as restructuring, technology implementation, and participation in the competitive global economy are faced with the necessity of managing a vast installed base of computers and local area networks (LANs) to facilitate the timely flow of information among business units over the wide area network (WAN), which may be the public-switched telephone network, a carrier’s fast packet network, or the public Internet. Given the vast installed base of computers and LANs, the need for management tools is imperative, as is the need for personnel with the skills to use them.

Empowered by today’s high-performance computers interconnected over LANs and WANs, companies are faced with the daunting task of bringing workability to the diversity and complexity of today’s data communications landscape. As enterprise networks continue to grow and expand to include mobile professionals, telecommuters, small branch offices and far-flung international locations, the need to extend management capabilities over public and private WANs becomes even more urgent. Among the key challenges facing network managers today is how to tie together incompatible LANs, meld legacy systems and LANs, extend the reach of LANs with wireless links, protect information assets from various disaster scenarios, and consolidate multiprotocol traffic over a single WAN backbone in such a way as to guarantee appropriate service levels. Furthermore, all this must be done securely, at minimum cost, and without inflicting performance penalties on end users as the existing infrastructure is reshaped.

This book is a practical guide that puts these and other important infrastructural issues into proper perspective to greatly increase the chances for success in managing advanced communications systems and networks. It is suited to both experienced and entry-level professionals, as well as college and university students who are preparing for careers in the field of telecommunications or information technology (IT) management. Interconnect vendors and service providers will find this book useful as a tutorial for new hires and salespeople and as an economical means of educating potential customers on various network issues that their products or services address.

The information contained in this book, especially as it relates to specific vendors and products, is believed to be accurate at the time it was written and is, of course, subject to change with continued advancements in technology and shifts in market forces. The mention of specific products, services, and vendors is intended for illustration purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement of any kind, expressed or implied, by the author or publisher.

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